A color light-sensitive material for picture-taking generally has three layers; that is, a red-sensitive emulsion layer, a green-sensitive emulsion layer, and a blue-sensitive emulsion layer, in which the red-sensitive emulsion layer, the green-sensitive emulsion layer, a yellow filter layer and the blue-sensitive emulsion layer are arranged, in the order listed, on a support, with the intention of allowing light, the color of which is complementary to the color image to be produced in each of the color-forming emulsion layers, to reach each particular layer.
Hitherto, improvements in image sharpness and graininess using conventional color light-sensitive materials have been attempted by changing the conventional arrangement of emulsion layers employed therein. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,917 discloses a construction and arrangement of emulsion layers such that the green-sensitive emulsion forms two separate layers, and one of them is disposed at the topmost position of all light-sensitive layers. However, such an arrangement suffers from the defect that it exerts a bad effect upon the color reproducibility since the green-sensitive emulsion layer provided at the topmost position responds not only to green light, which color is complementary to that of dye image to be produced therein, but also to a different color of light (specifically, blue light), and, consequently, dye stain is formed in the topmost green-sensitive emulsion layer. Furthermore, the spectral sensitivity of the blue-sensitive emulsion layer tends to be distorted.
In some cases, such a construction that each of the above-described emulsion layers is resolved into at least two layers having different sensitivities is used. For example, in one construction a high-sensitivity emulsion layer and a low-sensitivity emulsion layer are used, wherein each high-sensitivity emulsion layer is disposed farther from the support than the corresponding low-sensitivity emulsion layer; such a construction has been adopted in multilayer color light-sensitive materials for picture-taking for the purpose of improvement upon gradation and expansion of exposure latitude. However, sensitive materials having such a construction and such an arrangement are found to produce color pictures of insufficient image sharpness, and, when they are subjected to the color reversal processing a remarkable drop in graininess is observed in the color images obtained, compared with the case wherein they are subjected to color negative processing.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 25738/81 (the term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application") discloses a color light-sensitive material of a kind which may be processed color reversal processing, in which both green-sensitive, high-sensitivity emulsion layer and red-sensitive, high-sensitivity emulsion layer are positioned nearer to the support than both green-sensitive, low-sensitivity emulsion layer and red-sensitive, low-sensitivity emulsion layer. In such an arrangement of emulsion layers, it is necessary for the purpose of preventing a color mixing phenomenon from occurring to provide an interlayer between the green-sensitive, high-sensitivity emulsion layer and the red-sensitive, high-sensitivity emulsion layer and further, to provide another interlayer between the green-sensitive, low-sensitivity emulsion layer and the red-sensitive, low-sensitivity emulsion layer. Therefore, this sensitive material suffers the disadvantage that the total thickness of the coated emulsion layers is increased, causing a decrease in image sharpness.